Chapter 16

　　“So. What happened here?” Lumen asked, examining the traces of the summoning magic.

　　“Didn’t you hear the scream, Mr. Luman? It was quite loud.”

　　“I heard something similar from far away. But by the time I followed the sound here, it was already over.”

　　“That’s a shame. You missed quite an interesting scene.”

　　Cadel flashed a sly smile. Lumen’s expression tightened slightly at his attitude, which made it perfectly clear he had no intention of explaining what that “interesting scene” was.

　　I thought he was the naive type since he wears his heart on his sleeve. Turns out he’s a sly snake.

　　The way he smiled brightly and whispered something to his subordinate was completely at odds with his innocent appearance. Lumen turned his gaze away from Cadel and examined the massive circular scorch mark.

　　The bare ground couldn’t have just burst into flames on its own. Yet, there was no sign of debris that could have been used as an accelerant. The only anomaly was a small pit dug out near the circular mark. Seeing the smoke still rising from the pit, it was highly likely it had been created around the same time as the scorch mark.

　　Where is the person who screamed?

　　The source of the scorch mark, the cause of the pit next to it, and the person who screamed were all unknown. The gaping holes in his deduction left him frustrated. This Cadel fellow had clearly witnessed an important scene, but judging by his attitude, he didn’t want to share that information.

　　It seemed he needed to approach him. Lumen stepped in front of Cadel. At that, Cadel, who was a handspan shorter, tilted his small head, and deep brown eyes turned to meet his.

　　“Are you really not going to explain this ‘interesting scene’?”

　　“Hmm…? Of course not!”

　　It was an unequivocal answer completely at odds with the question’s intent. Just as Lumen was about to be dumbfounded, Cadel continued.

　　“Didn’t you also come here after hearing the rumors about the temple, Mr. Luman? You’re trying to beat them to the punch and demand a reward before the temple officially calls in an order of knights to deal with these grim rumors.”

　　“That’s…”

　　“Don’t tell me you’re going to deny it. Not when you’re clearly barely scraping by on whatever commissions come your way.”

　　Lumen had nothing to say. Cadel’s way of speaking was both loaded and blunt, as he had a knack for instantly snatching away his opponent’s excuses and dangling them just out of reach.

　　Lumen found Cadel obnoxious for that, but at the same time, he thought it worked out rather well. The fact that he had seen through his situation so accurately meant that Cadel was in a similar position. He smiled leisurely and tilted his head.

　　“Shouldn’t we help each other out since we’re in the same boat? You never know. I might be of great help to you.”

　　“No. You won’t be of any help at all.”

　　“…I’m quite strong. We can even spar right now if you want to test that.”

　　“Oh dear. That means you’ll be even less helpful.”

　　Lumen’s relaxed expression cracked at the subtle sneer. Having lived as the young master of a renowned family for so long, he had fierce pride. Although he acted as a wandering swordsman and occasionally took on commissions like a mercenary when he needed money, he had never once bowed his head while living such a life.

　　Perhaps that was why. Even though he had already conceded quite a bit, Cadel’s ironclad attitude seriously rubbed him the wrong way. Would he still act like this if I revealed my true identity? Such an arrogant thought even crossed his mind.

　　But apart from that, Lumen’s current situation was far from ideal.

　　His funds were nearly depleted, and he had been plagued by the pursuers his family constantly sent after him for almost a month. His stress had reached its peak from listening to their thinly veiled threats: “If you don’t return soon, your position in the family will be in jeopardy.” Unable to show his face in public, he had to wear a stifling hood everywhere, which made him even more on edge.

　　If he couldn’t produce notable results in the near future, he would have to return to his family without having achieved even a fraction of the grand ambitions he held when he left home. What a disgrace that would be. Rather than suffer such humiliation, it was better to bow his head a little to the small man in front of him. Even if he bowed, he would still be looking down at him.

　　“I need your help. And I’m fully willing to help you in return. If this is a matter serious enough for the temple to call in an order of knights, it’ll be hard for just the two of you to handle. Am I wrong?”

　　Lumen’s gaze was confident as he spoke, and his broad shoulders and striking features were incredibly attractive. If it had been anyone else, they might have been bewitched by his looks and leaked the information while pretending they couldn’t help it.

　　But Lumen’s opponent was Cadel. Furthermore, standing behind Cadel was a loyal dog who snorted and looked displeased no matter what Lumen said.

　　“It seems you don’t understand what I mean.”

　　Cadel lowered his eyebrows in mock pity. Then, he openly sighed and crossed his arms.

　　“Mr. Luman. Your goal and ours are the same. That is exactly why we cannot cooperate.”

　　“What do you mean by that?”

　　“I have absolutely no intention of sharing the credit with you. The Red Scale Mercenaries will take all the credit. And right here in Hermel City, the name ‘Red Scale’ will become properly known.”

　　Lumen’s eyes narrowed. Cadel seemed sincere. He hadn’t come simply to demand a massive reward from the temple, but had sought out the temple to build a name for his mercenary group.

　　This complicates things.

　　With a goal like that, extracting information would become even harder. Moreover, even if he backed down today, he would continue to clash with Cadel’s side in the future. As long as both of them kept digging into the temple.

　　“However… it’s not like there’s absolutely no way for us to cooperate.”

　　While Lumen was trying to figure out a way to break through this bleak future, Cadel began to slowly look him up and down with an approving look, unlike before. Then, he made a completely unexpected remark.

　　“Join the Red Scale Mercenaries. If you become one of us, the reason to hide information disappears.”

* * *

　　Earning that arrogant noble’s loyalty in the short time it took to clear this quest?

　　Nonsense. It’s impossible.

　　Then, should he lean into the fact that this was an otome game world and slowly melt Lumen’s heart with his charms?

　　Are you crazy? That’s physiologically impossible.

　　Since neither of those options would work, it was realistically impossible to get Lumen Dominic to join by going through the normal steps. So Cadel opted to lure him in with practical benefits.

　　Loyalty? He could just leash him first and build that up later. As long as Lumen stuck by his side, there would be plenty of opportunities to show off his qualities as a captain, even if he had to use contrived methods.

　　Right now, Cadel didn’t need a loyal subordinate, but just needed enough combat power to help him progress through the quest safely. A force that would move according to his intentions.

　　“…Captain.”

　　“Yeah?”

　　“I respect your choice, Captain, but I can’t trust that guy in the slightest. He gave a fake name from the start. On top of that, he doesn’t show a single ounce of loyalty toward you…”

　　Van, who was whispering while sticking close to Cadel’s side, glared at Lumen, who was following them from behind. It was a piercing gaze, but Lumen didn’t even spare him a glance, as if he didn’t even exist.

　　“Hey, Boss. Are you sure the witch who activated the summoning magic is nearby?”

　　Lumen raised his voice as he casually surveyed the surroundings. Van ground his teeth at his informal tone.

　　“Look at that. That arrogant tone. Calling you ‘Boss’ whenever he pleases and talking to you so casually. Of course, anyone can see you have a youthful face, Captain, so he might have just guessed you were younger than him. But I don’t like any of it, including his hasty judgment.”

　　“Haha…”

　　“You can’t trust noble bastards. He’ll definitely act for his own benefit.”

　　“I used to be a noble too, you know…”

　　“You’re always the exception, Captain.”

　　Cadel patted the sullen Van’s shoulder as if to soothe him. Ironically, the one acting purely for his own benefit was Cadel himself. Until he proposed joining the mercenaries, Lumen probably couldn’t have imagined they would end up sharing information like this.

　　It was an inevitable choice to increase their combat power before a big fight, but from Van’s perspective, it was bound to be uncomfortable. A man who despised nobles and a man who was a noble from birth. It would be a miracle if they didn’t clash.

　　But we can fix that gradually. As members of the same mercenary group, they’ll fight life-or-death battles time and time again. Usually it’s hard for a strong bond not to form between comrades who go through that, right?

　　Cadel decided to think positively. Even though the profile he checked as soon as Lumen joined was a bit bothersome…

　　[Lumen Dominic]

　　[Current Rank: A-Class]

　　[Max Awakening Rank: S-Class]

　　[Position: Damage Dealer]

　　[Equipped Gear: Elegant Longsword (A), High-Quality Armor (A)]

　　[Affinity and Loyalty: 5/100]

　　I didn’t expect his loyalty to be only 5. At that level, isn’t it practically nonexistent? Well, he’s still my knight for now. I can just raise it little by little.

　　That was what he would do. There was no need to be impatient. Right now, he had to focus on taking down the Witch right in front of them.

　　“Keep your ears wide open and focus, Luman. If we’re lucky, you’ll be able to hear a very terrible sound.”

　　Unlike the subjugation of the undead monster legion, which was closer to a tutorial, the Witch they were facing this time would by no means be an easy opponent. Of course, the tutorial hadn’t been easy either.

　　With a serious expression, Cadel clenched and unclenched his fists.